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Sebastian Vettel could win the 2011 Formula One championship at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Formula One: Vettel inches closer to second title with Singapore pole win

September 23, 2011

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Sebastian Vettel will start the Singapore Grand Prix from the pole position after a typically polished qualifying performance on Saturday.

In the end, the Red Bull team showed a clear edge over the opposition as Mark Webber took second place and locked up the front row for the team. Vettel can clinch his second Formula One championship on Sunday, depending on what happens to others, although he needs at least a third-place finish.

Jenson Button took third for McLaren after Lewis Hamilton was bumped down--he was unable to make his second and final run in the third qualifying session after the team made a mistake when fueling the car and there was no time to fix it. Hamilton also had a tire puncture in Q2, so he has lost a set of supersoft tires. He does, however, have one new set for the race as he did not make that final run.

The Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa start fifth and sixth, ahead of the Mercedes cars of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, the latter only doing an out lap in Q3 as he tried to save tires.

Force India got both cars through to Q3, but the team decided to keep them in the garage and save tires for the race rather than make a run. Adrian Sutil will start ninth, ahead of Paul Di Resta. Unlike others in the top 10 they have a free choice of which tire to start on.

In Q2, Sergio Pérez was bumped out of the top 10 at the last moment by Di Resta, and the Mexican driver will start 11th. He lines up ahead of the Williams pair of Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado, the Toro Rosso of Sébastien Buemi, the Renault of Bruno Senna, and the Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguersuari.

Kamui Kobayashi had a heavy crash at the tricky turn-10 chicane early in Q2, bringing out a red flag. The Japanese driver had not set a time, so he will start 17th for Sauber.

The big loser in Q1 was Vitaly Petrov as Renault struggled badly on this slow track, having abandoned an update package when it led to engine overheating. The Russian driver will start 18th but he will at least have the benefit of some new supersoft tires. Heikki Kovalainen was quickest of the new teams in 19th, ahead of Lotus teammate Jarno Trulli and the Virgins of Timo Glock and Jérôme D'Ambrosio.

Daniel Ricciardo beat his HRT teammate, Tonio Liuzzi, again to take 23rd, although the latter is in any case subject to a five-place grid penalty for causing the first-lap crash in Monza.